Coin collector



.1, M. MELICK COIN COLLECTOR Dec. 19, 1933.

Filed March 8, 1932 m/vs/vrok J. M. MEL ICK ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 19, 1933 1,940,095 com COLLECTOR John M. Melick, Cresskill, N. J.,as'signor to Bell Telephone Laboratories,

Incorporated, New

York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 8,1932. Serial No. 597,473

6 Claims. oi. 194 1) This invention relates to telephoneapparatus and more particularlyto coin collector apparatus which .is providedat the subscribers station to receive. coins deposited in payment for telephone service. In apparatus of this character the deposited coin is heldtemporarily in the collector under the control of the central office operator and finally is either deposited in thecash box or refunded to the subscriber accordingas the desired service is' or is not rendered.

An object of this inventionis to provide means whereby the coin cannot be fraudulentlyrecovered after the subscriber has received thedesired service. u 1 v A further object of this .invention is to. provide means whereby coins-or slugs smaller than ,a predetermined size which are used in an attemptto operate:the. coin collector apparatus will automatically be deposited in the cashbox.

In accordance with the above object this invention provides a coin collector having a coin chute which is dividedinto a. refund passage and a collect passage. Mounted on one side of the coin chute just above the place of division is an electromagnet with which .is associated a set of electrical contacts and a release plunger. The set'of contacts and the release plunger are so located that they arrest the movements of coins above ,a predeterminedsize. Also associated withsaid electromagnet is a pair of pivoted arms which project through openings in the walls of the coin chute. These arms. determine into whichpassage the arrested coin falls upon its release by the release plunger. Mounted opposite the electromagnet on the other side of the coin chute is a lever, the. free end of which projects through an opening in the coin chute andnormallyblocks the return passageto coins or slugs of smaller than the predetermined size.

This lever which is controlled by the release plunger is removed from'thecoinlchute by said For the purpose of illustrating .theinvention it is shown as applied to a. coin collector of the type shown and described in Patent 1,076,285 to W. Hosford, October 21, 1913, which provides means for collecting and refunding coins of the proper size, but permits under-sized coins or under-sized slugs to pass through the collector to the refund chute where they may be recovered, whereas the present invention provides means for normally blocking the refund passage so that under-sized coins and under-sized slugs will be 5 tacle housing 1 and the backplate 5 is secured 16- a coin chute 6 which consists of the usual coin gauge 7,.zigzag channel 8, bypass 9, deposit channel 10 and refund channel 11 separated by a partition 12 carried. by the outer wall of the coin chute,.and refund cup 13. The coin receptacle is located in the coin receptacle housing 1 behind and below the deposit channel 10 and is not shown in detail in any of the figures since it forms no part of this invention. The coin chute; coin receptacle and mechanism hereafter described are enclosed in a protecting housing '(not shown) fastened to the baokplate 5.

A polarized electromagnet is firmly secured to the coin chute 6 bymeans of screws 14, 15 and 16 and comprises coils 17 and 18 and an armature 19 as shown in Fig. 2. The armature 19 is pivotally supported between the pointed screws and26 and isadaptecl to be turned in either direction about its axis depending upon the direction of current through the coils 17 and 18. A frame member 27 is likewise 'pivotally'supported by the screws 25 and 26 and is provided with rearwardly projecting lugs 28 and 29. The frame member 27 is so located with respect to the armature 19 that the lug 28 or the mechanism positive in its operation. 7

Firmly secured to the frame member 27 is construction allows the armature 19 to gain some 'momentum before picking up its load and makes a downwardly projecting arm or lever 30. This 1 arm 30 carries a-movable support for arresting the coin in its downward movementv and a directing mechanism- The support consists of a forwardly projecting pmember or plunger 31 which s'projects. through the rear wall of the n chute into the coin runway. The plunger 31 is pivotally supported and carried by a lever 30 through the agency of a pin 32 and is given a forward or backward movement depending upon the direction or motion of the armature. At the outer end of the plunger 31 is a curved projection 33 which normally lies in the coin runway and'against which the coin rests. If the armature is so tilted that the right end thereof moves toward the front, the plunger 31 is pushed outwardly thereby moving the projection 33 out of the runway and allowing a coin to pass behind the said projection. If, on the other In a horizontal line with the projection'33 of the plunger 31 is a lever 37 pivoted at 38.- The projection 33 and the lever 37 are so situated and spaced that .a coin of the proper size moving down'the zigzag channel s' from the coin receptacle 7 lodges between themand is held in this position until released by the operator energizing the coils 17and 18. The weight of the coin rotates the lever 37 about its axis 38 and two contactsprings 39- and 40 insulated from the frame and from each other, he in such a position that the spring 39 is struck by the lever 37 in its movementabout the pivot 38 and is moved into engagement with the spring 40. r p

The lever 37 maybe insulated from the springs by an insulating material carried thereby. The springs 39 and 40 constitute a normally open contact inthe signal circuit and it is evident .that with this construction, the signal circuit does not'passthrough the coinbut through the frame of the mechanism andthat thiscircuit is consequently positively and dependably controlled.

On one side of the axial planeof the movable armature' 19, the lever 30 carries the forwardly projecting pin 35 normally extending across the chute. On the other side of the axial plane of the armature 19,, the lever 30 carries the forwardly'projecting pin 36 which in its normal position extends through an opening 2 in the rear wall of the chute and is of such length as to be flush with the inner rear wall of the chute.

Attached by'one end to the outer wall 3 passage to coins comingdown the zigzag channel 8. By this structure any coin which is small enough to pass between projection 33 and lever 37 will be directed into the coin receptacle. Also any coin or slug which is of a size just suflicient to stick between the projection 33 and the lever 37 but which may be released .by jarring will also pass to the coin receptacle when released.

When the armature is actuated so that the right end'thereof moves in a forward direction, the plunger 31 is pushed outwardly thereby moving the projection 33Vout of the runway and allowing coins to'pass behind thesaid projection.

Outward movement of the projection 33 forces the spring 46 away from the coin chute thus re- ;moving the projection 47 from the coin passage and. leaving the return passage open for coins coming 'downthe zigzag channel 8. The pin 36 -coin proceeds to the refund cup'13.

is at the same time forced within the chute to guard the deposit channel 10 and the pin 35 is completely withdrawn from the chute thereby permitting the released coin to be deflected by the directing pin 36 to the left of the partition 12 into the refund channel 11 and as projection 47 has been removed from the return passage the If on the other hand the armature is rotated so that the right end thereof moves in a rearward direction, the plunger 31 is pulled from the chute allowing the coin to drop in front of the projection 33. As the plunger 31 is pulled from the chute the spring 46 remains in the same position and the projection. 47 continues to block the return passage to coins coming down the zigzag channel 8. The pin 35 moves into the chute to further guard the refund channel while the pin 36 is completely withdrawn from the chute permitting the released coin to be deflected by the directing pin 35 to theright of the partition 12 into the deposit channel 10 and thence to. thec'oin receptacle. The spring 46 may be grooved as shown in Fig.3 at a point adjacent the projection 33 to insure positive outward movement when the plunger 31 is moved outwardly by the armature. Other means may also be provided for the same purpose. a f

As stated above, in case a coin of a smaller size than that which is required is deposited, it Will not be held between the supporting lever 37 and projection 33 but will pass between thesean'd be deflected to the right of the partition 12'into the coin receptacle by projection 47 of the spring 46. If a coin is in the arrested position between the supports 33 and 37 and another coin is placed in the gauge 7 and released, it will strike the top of the arrested-coin and be deflected into the bypass 9 to the refund channel 11 and refund cup What is claimed is: p

1. In a coin collector, a. coin chute having a refund passage anda collect passage, an electromagnet on one side of said chute, means associated with said electromagnet for arresting the movement of coins abovea predetermined size, said means comprising a plunger, and means on the opposite side of'said chuteand controlled by said plunger to normally block said refund passage.

2. In a coin collector, a coin chute having a refund passage and a' collect passage, an electromagnet on one side of said chute, means comprising a plunger associated with said electromagnet for arresting the movement of' coins above a predetermined size, means comprising a lever on the'opposite side of said chute blocking said refund passage to coins smaller than the predetermined size, said lever being controlledby said plunger so as tobe removed from saidp'assage and permit'the refund of coins above the predetermined size- 3. In a coin collector, a coin-chute having a refund passage and a collect passage, an electromagnet on one sideof said coin chute, means comprising a' plunger associated with said electromagnet for arresting the movement 'of .coins in said chute above' a predetermined size, said plunger being controlled by said electromagnet to release said arrrested coin, a pair of pivoted arms associated with said electromagnet to deflect said released coin into said refund or said collect. passage, means mounted opposite said electromagnet to normally block said refund pa's'sage, said means being controlled by said plunger so as to open said refund passage when said released coin is deflected into said refund passage.

4. In a coin collector, a coin chute having a refund passage and a collect passage, an electromagnet on one side of said chute, means comprising a plunger associated with said electromagnet for arresting the movement of coins above a predetermined size, a resilient arm on the opposite side of said chute having two in- Wardly projecting lugs, one of said lugs extending through an opening in said coin chute to block said refund passage to coins smaller than said electromagnet to release the arrested coins,

a directing lever normally flushed with the inner wall of said coin chute, said lever being controlled by said electromagnet to block said collect passage and direct a released coin into said refund passage, and meansassociated with said electromagnet to normally block said refund passage to coins under a predetermined size, and said means being controlled by said electromagnet to open said refund passage when said directing lever blocks said collect passage.

6. In a coin collector, a coin chute having a refund passage and a collect passage, means for arresting the movement of coins in said chute above apredetermined size, means to normally block said refund passage, directing means normally flushed with the inner wall of said chute, and electromagnetic means to simultaneously operate said arresting means to release said arrested coin, remove said blocking means from said refund passage and move said directing means into the coin passage to block said collect passage and direct said released coin into said refund passage.

" JOHN M. MELICK. 

